Understanding:
• Taxonomists classify species using a hierarchy of taxa
• The principal taxa for classifying eukaryotes are kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species
Taxonomy is the science involved with classifying groups of organisms on the basis of shared characteristics
- Organisms are grouped according to a series of hierarchical taxa – the more taxa organisms share, the more similar they are
- The taxa used are kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species (genus + species = scientific name)
Hierarchy of Taxa
Application:
• Classification of one plant and one animal species from domain to species level
All plant and animal species belong to the same domain (Eukarya) as they are composed of eukaryotic cells
- Beyond this point plants and animals differ in their classification as they belong to different kingdoms (Plantae vs Animalia)
Classification Examples (Human vs Buttercup)
